Long lockdowns, school closures and restrictions on everyday life have put young people at a greater risk of mental health issues. And while it will be years before we can truly assess the psychological impact of COVID-19, digital health researchers at the University of Southern Queensland are developing a new digital mental health platform for children and adolescents to help ease the growing demand on mental health care providers.

Long lockdowns, school closures and restrictions on everyday life have put young people at a greater risk of mental health issues. And while it will be years before we can truly assess the psychological impact of COVID-19, digital health researchers at the University of Southern Queensland are developing a new digital mental health platform for children and adolescents to help ease the growing demand on mental health care providers. 

A consortium of regional Universities has won a bid to establish a regional mental health institute, aiming to create the next generation of mental health researchers to address significant regional, rural and remote (RRR) mental health challenges.

University of Southern Queensland researchers have seen a sharp increase in the number of young people seeking help for anxiety since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Psychologist Professor Sonja March said two to four times more children and adolescents had signed up for the BRAVE Program, an online platform to help manage anxiety, since the pandemic started. “Much of this increase seems to be coming from school-based referrals,” she said.

A University of Southern Queensland child psychologist and plant pathologist have been announced as finalists in the 2020 annual Women in Technology (WiT) Awards. Professor Sonja March (School of Psychology and Counselling / Centre for Health Research) and Dr Niloofar Vaghefi (Centre for Crop Health) are among 44 outstanding women recognised through the program in 2020. WiT is one of Queensland's most respected technology industry associations, supporting and promoting the achievements of women in science and technology industries.

Children as young as five could soon be able to access a new online assessment tool that aims to recognise potential mental health problems. The web-based app developed at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) allows children to identify emotional and behavioural difficulties they might be experiencing so that families, educators and health professionals can provide early assistance.